Embodiments herein generally relate to printing device management systems and more particularly to systems and methods where each of the printing devices calculates an ability score based on each printing device's ability to meet printing specifications and submits such an ability score to the user requesting the print job.
Currently, document devices (e.g., print, scan, fax) are delivered to the office market as individual devices. Some manufacturers have begun selling fleets of devices that are tailored to the needs of particular enterprises, but the devices, once delivered, still operate as independent units. Such fleets would be more productive if they could mutually cooperate and collaborate to provide increased capabilities at reduced costs.
The embodiments presented herein comprise a process for satisfying a set of print requirements through a collaborating set of devices. With embodiments herein, a set of devices (and potentially services such as a central reproduction department (CRD)); each of which is capable of printing a job, can respond to a request to print. In the simplest case, devices predict turnaround time and respond with a bid. The user then chooses the printer that will provide the quickest turnaround.
Using turnaround time assumes that the cost of the employee's time dominates the cost of printing. If this is not the case, the system can use a more complex utility model to take into account the cost and value of various print options, and instead of expected turnaround time each printer can, for example, return their expected utility. Also, the embodiments herein can take into account the reduced value of a black and white document over a color document, the reduced value of poorer image quality of the reduced value of missing finishing capabilities, etc. The embodiments herein also can ensure that the “best” result will be returned first, allowing the user to choose under a guarantee that no better offer will arrive later.
More specifically, stated in terms of a method, in one embodiment herein at least two printing devices receive a print job from a user that has printing data and printing specifications. Each of the printing devices independently calculates an ability score based on each printing device's ability to meet each of the printing specifications. The printing devices each output their ability score to the user. The printing devices then receive an indication as to which printing device is the selected print device, and an instruction to print the print job is thus sent from the user to the selected print device. Then, the selected print device prints the print job on tangible media to produce a tangible output.
The printing specifications can comprise an estimated turnaround time, printing colors, printing quality, print output location, etc. Correspondingly, each of the printing devices calculates the estimated turnaround time as part of the ability score and performs such a calculation based on printing speed and print jobs currently waiting to be printed in each print queue of each of the printing devices. In additional embodiments, the estimated turnaround time is further based on a prediction of print jobs expected to be added to each print queue. Further, when outputting the ability score, each of the printing devices can reserve a place in their print queue for the print job. Alternatively, to provide more of a guarantee that the print job will be completed according to the turnaround estimate, the method can also calculate the ability score based on a worse case estimate.
This method can be applied to an individual printing device. For example, such a printing device could include a processor and a computer storage media operatively connected to the processor (the computer storage media stores instructions executable by the processor). The printing device could also include an interface and a printing engine, both again operatively connected to the processor.
The interface is in communication with the user and other, potentially similar, printing devices. The printing device can be connected to, or associated with, the other printing devices to form a defined group of printing devices to which the user has access. The interface and the other printing devices receive the print job (that again comprises printing data and printing specifications) from the user. In response, each of the printing devices and the processor calculate the ability score (again, based on each printing device's ability to meet each of the printing specifications) and each of the printing devices and the interface output the ability score to the user. If the interface receives the instruction to print the print job from the user, the printing engine prints the print job on tangible media to produce a tangible output.
Other method embodiments relate to systems that are in communication with a print controller that receives the print job from the user. The print controller outputs the print job to a plurality of printing devices. Each of the printing devices calculates the ability score (again based on their ability to meet each of the printing specifications) and outputs the ability score to the print controller.
The print controller displays to the user the abilities of the printing devices to print the print job based on each ability score provided by the different printing devices. In response from the user, the print controller receives an identification of the selected print device. In turn, the print controller instructs the selected print device to print the print job and the selected print device prints the print job on tangible media to produce a tangible output.
A corresponding system has a print controller that receives the print job. The system also includes the plurality of printing devices that are operatively connected to the print controller. The print controller outputs the print job to the printing devices, and each of the printing devices calculates their ability score based on their ability to meet each of the printing specifications. Each of the printing devices outputs their ability score to the print controller and the print controller displays to the user the abilities of the printing devices to print the print job (again based on each of the different ability scores).
The print controller receives, from the user, an identification of the selected print device of the printing devices and the print controller instructs the selected print device to print the print job. Then, the selected print device prints the print job on tangible media to produce a tangible output.
These and other features are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed description.